Sentimento

As Printed on a Score

Rarely printed alone: it appears inside phrases (“con sentimento”, “con molto sentimento”, “con intimo sentimento”) above the staff or under a keyboard part, at the start of a lyrical passage or in a movement heading. The phrase holds until a new character word.

How Composers Use It

As a noun, sentimento is always qualified: con sentimento asks for heartfelt, warmly expressive playing, and adjectives such as molto or intimo fix how much and what kind. It suggests personal feeling more than the outward projection of espressivo, which is why it gathers in slow movements and lyrical episodes. Beethoven’s “Appassionato e con molto sentimento” shows it joined to a stronger word, passion and feeling side by side.

Example

Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 (“Hammerklavier”), third movement, m. 1: “Appassionato e con molto sentimento”, beside the movement’s tempo, Adagio sostenuto.

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